1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the removal of threaded drain plugs and the like from containers such as automotive engine oil pans for replacement of oil or other fluids present therein, and more particularly, to a drain plug removing device which can be used without oil being spilled onto the user's hand and without the drain plug being dropped after it has been removed from the oil pan.
2. Description of the Related Art
The mechanic who performs maintenance on an automobile, truck, boat or the like is familiar with the awkwardness and messiness of removing fluid drain plugs from the vehicle's engine oil pans or sump. Generally, the removal of such a drain plug includes first loosening the plug with a wrench and then unscrewing and removing the plug by hand. When the last thread of the drain plug disengages from the oil pan, however, the oil changer must attempt to snatch the plug away from the on-rushing stream of often hot oil, while trying not to drop the plug into the used oil receptacle. More often than not, hot and dirty oil spills onto the oil changer's hand, potentially resulting in burns and many times causing the oil changer to drop the plug into the used oil receptacle, thus requiring him to grope in the dirty oil to retrieve the plug.
There are numerous oil change and drain plug devices proposed in the related art, including expired U.S. Pat. No. 1,668,245 to McGowan disclosing a rotating crankcase drain funnel having a drain hose and a socket for removing the drain plug.
Expired U.S. Pat. No. 1,686,749 to Higgins et al. discloses an oil catch basin with a geared drain plug-removing wrench mounted thereon.
Expired U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,697 to Guenther discloses a crankcase oil drainage and collection device that requires a special drain plug having a passageway therein such that on partial removal of the plug, oil can drain from the crankcase into a funnel that directs the oil into an oil container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,002 to Skidmore discloses a device for removing a plug and draining oil from a vehicle oil pan including a socket for removing the drain plug, a funnel for catching draining oil and an oil drain hose.
None of the above-described devices have enjoyed any significant degree of commercial success, primarily because of the time and expense in making use of them. All of these devices have drawbacks, some requiring alteration of the plug to be removed, others requiring hand holding of a funnel while draining the oil.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,939 to Garrison discloses a drain plug holder having a socket attached to a short manually rotatable spindle with a chain connected thereto. The socket includes a magnet for holding a drain plug, and the chain can be secured at one end thereof to the bottom of the car. A drain plug is removed by rotating the spindle, and if the plug drops, it may be held by the magnet. However, the location of the spindle does not ensure that hot oil will not gush onto the user's fingers, and if the plug drops with sufficient momentum, the magnetic attraction can break and allow the plug to fall into the used oil receptacle. In addition, the momentum of the falling drain plug and consequent oscillation of the chain may cause oil coating the end of the plug to splatter outside of the used oil receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,827 to Poling discloses a drain plug removing device having a rotatable socket with winglets, for engaging and selectively holding a head of a drain plug. One end of a flexible line is connected to the rotatable socket, and similar to the Garrison device, the other end of the line is secured to a support to prevent the socket and drain plug from falling further than the length of the line, if dropped, and to support the line and the socket holding the drain plug. This device also suffers the disadvantage created by the momentum of the falling drain plug and consequent oscillation of the line, namely, the resultant outward splattering of oil coating the end of the drain plug.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,776 to Poling discloses a drain plug removing device having a clip for rotatably engaging and selectively holding a head of a threaded drain plug. The device includes a selectively bendable, flexible shaft attached to the clip at one end thereof, the shaft being formed of a reboundable coil spring extending away from the clip. The shaft has a handle at another end thereof opposite the clip such that rotation of the handle applies rotational force to the shaft which in turn applies rotational force to the clip, causing rotation of the clip and the drain plug held therein. This device suffers from a drawback created by the rapid unbending of the flexed shaft upon removal of the drain plug, which unflexing movement can cause oil coating the end of the drain plug to splatter outwardly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,331 to Tsukamoto discloses a drain plug remover including a drain plug holding socket, a shield member and a handle. The shield member extends outwardly from the base of the socket to initially catch and subsequently deflect the flow of dirty oil away from the hand of the user. Extending from the shield member opposite the socket is a handle which the user rotates to unscrew the plug. A disadvantage of this device, however, is that the user is required to remain in close proximity to the engine oil pan, so that the user without a vehicle lift who has to crawl underneath a jacked-up vehicle to unscrew the drain plug must remain laying on his back in a cramped, uncomfortable position directly underneath the oil pan while rotating the handle of this device.
There remains a need in the art for a simple, portable, lightweight, easy-to-clean drain plug removing device which allows the user to remove a drain plug from an engine oil pan without undue discomfort, while avoiding the spillage of oil onto the user's fingers, the dropping of the plug into the used oil receptacle, and the splattering of oil outside of the used oil receptacle. The device of the present invention is adapted to meet these needs.